“New Delhi used dialogue as an instrument to dilute resistance movement”

Islamabad: (Parliament Times) The former convener of All Parties Hurriyat Conference Pak chapter and senior vice president of Democratic Freedom Party Mehmood Ahmed Saghar has said that distortion and misrepresentation of facts has become hallmark of pro-Indian Kashmiri politicians who he said can go to any extent to appease their masters in New Delhi.

Reacting to puppet Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s recent statement regarding the number of persons wounded in Kashmir due to bullets, pellets, PAVA shells fired upon them by Indian forces during the 2016 and 2017 mass uprising, the DFP leader said, “The numbers of injured persons were much higher than what Ms Mufti had revealed before the “so-called legislative assembly” a day before yesterday”. “More than twenty thousand people mostly youth have been wounded in Kashmir by Indian military and Para-military troops by resorting to excessive use of force during 2016 and 2017 mass uprising, among them 8353 received pellet injuries as a result 73 lost their eye sight completely, whereas, nearly 200 lost their vision partially”, Saghar said.

Taking a jibe at mainstream political parties for distorting facts Saghar said that distortion of facts and historic realities has been hallmark of so called leaders who instead of representing their own people have always tried to appease their masters just to stay in power. “These political hacks who love to call themselves as public representatives have inflicted huge damage to Kashmir cause through deceit and deception”, he said adding that time has come that the Kashmiri masses should identify these political mercenaries who were hand in glove with Indian authorities.

Regarding Mehbooba Mufti’s recent tirade against Hurriyat leaders for not holding dialogue with New Delhi’s point man for Kashmir, the DFP leader said that Ms Mufti was perhaps somewhere in political hibernation when Hurriyat leaders held dialogue with India but history bears witness to the fact that New Delhi used dialogue as an instrument to dilute the intensity of resistance movement in Kashmir. He said that pro-freedom leadership has never been averse to talks but what they want is that the talks should be all inclusive, Kashmircentric, time-bound and result-oriented.

Saghar said that New Delhi’s call for a sustainable dialogue is nothing but a hoax. “On one hand they talk of dialogue while on the other they have been chocking every dissenting voice in Kashmir”, he said adding that a sizeable number of prominent Kashmiri leaders including Shabir Ahmed Shah have been thrown behind the bars on the pretext of trumped up charges. “The ill-treatment meted out to Shah Sahib and other Kashmiri prisoners at Tihar Jail is a matter of grave concern”, the DFP leader said adding that recent incidents of thrashing of prisoners in Tihar jail had put the lives of all Kashmiri political prisoners at risk.

Demanding release of Kashmiri prisoners, he said, ” Kashmiri prisoners languishing in Indian jails are being harassed. They should not only be shifted to Kashmir but also be released without any further delay”